1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of rotary self-propelled amusement devices and more specifically relates to an around the world rotary toy system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Every year, over 10,000 children and teens in the United States are diagnosed with a mental or physical disability ranging in degree of severity from mild asthma, attention deficit disorder, diabetes, obesity, mental retardation, spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Living with a disability can greatly affect a person's ability to function freely in society. While determination is a key factor in anyone's success, children and teens with limited mobility must overcome daily obstacles that most able bodied persons often take for granted. Activities such as showering, getting dressed and even playing with friends can be extremely difficult for a child with limited mobility, especially for those with limited use of their hands.
For children with special needs, the simple act of playing with favorite toys can be a challenge, especially as the child has physically grown out of a particular toy or activity even though the toy is age appropriate for the child due to diminished mental capacity. However, most children outgrow toys and are able to move on to other more complicated or challenging physical activities, many children with physical or mental challenges are not able to move on. Older children may have physically outgrown their toys and are not able to use them because the toy isn't large enough or sturdy enough to support their size and weight.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,094 to Gregory F. Lambert, U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,087 to Jacob W. Burkart, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,235 to Jurgen Ullrich et al. This art is representative of rotary self-propelled amusement devices. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, an around the world rotary toy system should provide safe physical activity and fun for children with physical or mental limitations as they grow larger in size and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable around the world rotary toy system to avoid the above-mentioned problems.